NHTSA Complaint #10994395 — 2016 TOYOTA RAV4

I PURCHASED MY TOYOTA RAV4 LE ON MAY 2016 AT SOUTH COAST TOYOTA IN COSTA MESA, CALIFORNIA. I LOVED IT JUST AS MUCH AS THE OTHER TOYOTA CARS I OWNED BEFORE. AFTER 10 MONTHS AND 7, 000 MILES, I'VE NOTICED A CLICKING NOISE ASSOCIATED WITH A FLICKERING HEADLIGHTS. THEY OCCUR EVERY TIME WHEN SHIFTING INTO DRIVE AND ENGAGING THE GEAR JUST ABOVE IDLE. ON MAY 8TH 2017, I DECIDED TO TAKE IT BACK TO THE DEALER SO THEY CAN TAKE A LOOK AT IT. FIRST VISIT THEY STATED THAT THEY COULD NOT FIND/REPLICATE THE NOISE NOR THE FLICKERING HEADLIGHTS. THE NEXT DAY, MAY 9TH 2017, I TOOK IT BACK AND INSISTED THAT THEY CHECK IT AGAIN. THEY KEPT THE CAR OVERNIGHT. THE NEXT DAY THEY CALLED ME TO GO PICK UP THE CAR. WHEN I GOT THERE, THE ASSISTANT SERVICE MANAGER, THOMAS TRAFFORD, CONFIRMED THAT THEY HAVE FOUND THE NOISE BUT NOT THE FLICKERING HEADLIGHTS. AND TO MY SURPRISE, THE SHOP FOREMAN, BOBBY GENTON, CLAIMED THAT THE CLICKING NOISE WAS CAUSED BY ABS (ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM) AND IT WAS NORMAL IN A TOYOTA RAV4 AND THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO ABOUT THEREFORE I JUST HAVE TO GET USED TO IT. I ASKED HIM WHY WAS IT THAT THE CLICKING NOISE WAS NOT THERE WHEN I FIRST BOUGHT THE CAR ONE YEAR AGO AND IT STARTED JUST NOW AFTER ALMOST A YEAR. HIS ANSWER WAS: 'MAYBE IT WAS THERE, YOU JUST DIDN'T NOTICE IT TILL NOW.' I DISAGREE BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN DRIVING DIFFERENT CAR BRANDS, INCLUDING TOYOTA, FOR OVER 30 YEARS AND I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT I'VE NEVER EXPERIENCED THE SAME I'M SURE THAT THE CLICKING NOISE AND THE FLICKERING HEADLIGHTS ARE NOT NORMAL IN ANY OTHER CAR BRAND (THAT IS LESS THAN 10,000) LET ALONE TOYOTA THAT IS KNOWN FOR ITS GOOD QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE. HOWEVER, IF THE CLICKING NOISE AND FLICKERING HEADLIGHTS ARE AN EXISTING AND NORMAL CONDITION, AS THEY CLAIM IT TO BE, ISN'T TOYOTA OBLIGATED TO MAKE THE CONSUMERS AWARE OF IT AND LET THEM DECIDE IF THEY REALLY WANT THE SAME CAR?